Visakhapatnam: Trade unions affiliated with Left parties staged a protest on National Highway-16 at Kurmannapalem, the main entrance to the Steel Plant, as well as at the RTC Complex in Visakhapatnam and Pendurthi on Tuesday. The protestors were demanding the merger of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), regular monthly wage payments, and the withdrawal of the voluntary retirement scheme.
The demonstration led to massive traffic disruptions during peak hours, with the highway being blocked for over an hour and a half. Several activists were detained by the police and taken to the Gajuwaka police station, though they were released later in the evening.
The protesters, who had assembled in a rally before staging a sit-in (dharna) on the highway, chanted slogans and called for the merger of RINL with SAIL. They also voiced their concerns over delayed wage payments and criticized the proposed voluntary retirement scheme.
Senior leader Varasala Srinivasa Rao stated, "Our primary demand is the merger of RINL with SAIL. To exert pressure on the NDA government, we organised a statewide dharna and rasta roko, which we consider successful."
Rao highlighted that when the Center announced disinvestment in 2021, the steel plant had a turnover of Rs 25,000 crore and a profit of Rs 9,000 crore. He noted a significant decline in raw material supply, from 25,000 tons per day to just 4,500 tons per day, which he attributed to a deliberate strategy to prepare the plant for privatisation.
Rao also criticised local leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, who had promised to prevent privatization during election campaigns but have not made any progress since their government took office three months ago.
In addition to the main protest, CITU leaders organized a rally from the Gandhi statue to the RTC Complex, where they staged their own rasta roko. Another demonstration was held in Pendurthi by Left party leaders.
